The Atlantic City Aquarium, which has been closed since March 2020, finally has an opening date after several delays during renovations.
On Monday, March 24, the aquarium will show off the extensive interior and exterior repairs, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said during his State of the City address Thursday. During his hourlong speech, which took place at the Golden Nugget and can be viewed online, Small also discussed other plans for the shore town, including a long-awaited major development project at Bader Field.
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The aquarium in the Gardner's Basin bayside park closed due to COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and the need for repairs. It was tentatively scheduled to open in the fall of 2023, but was pushed back to the summer of 2024, and then again to December of that year before being delayed until 2025. Supply chain issues, funding and other unexpected problems delayed the extensive work that's been done. Along with renovations, there will also be new exhibits upon the reopening.
"I'm sitting here again to take full responsibility in the delay because I have standards — the residents and visitors of Atlantic City deserve something better than this — and guess what? If I didn't, it would have still looked like this on the outside, but the inside would have been brand new," Small said during his speech, as he showed photos of the aquarium before and after its renovation. "Make that make sense."
Also during the State of the City address, Small said the city received a "financial commitment letter" for a redevelopment plan at Bader Field that awaits a vetting process from the city and state.
Small signed a memorandum of understanding in 2023 to green light Bader Field's redevelopment, which would turn the 143-acre former municipal airport site into a Formula One racetrack with luxury condominiums and retail space. The proposed project, which was estimated to cost around $2.7 billion, is spearheaded by developer DEEM Enterprises.
Other construction projects Small discussed include a new City Hall courtyard, recreation center, sports fields, dog parks, skate park, boutique hotel and a "container park" that has an entertainment venue and marketplace. Projects at Atlantic City casinos include new hotel rooms at Golden Nugget, a bowling alley at the Showboat and indoor mini golf at Ocean. He also described several new residential buildings that will be going up in the near future.
There are also beach replenishment and boardwalk rehabilitation projects underway. Small said he is working on developing a land use amendment to permit food trucks to operate in "central locations." He also said the city will aim to mitigate homelessness by 20% through several initiatives that offer jobs, housing and mental health services. Thursday also saw the launch of the city's new website, greatdayatlanticcity.com.
Small, who's been the mayor of Atlantic City since 2019, launched his reelection campaign earlier this week. He and his wife, LaQuetta, superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, were indicted in September on charges that they each harmed their teenaged daughter on multiple occasions. They also face charges of witness tampering. They pled not guilty to both charges.